


And I've Been Doing Just Fine

by vivisextion



Series: The Bright Side [2]
Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: M/M, Marriage Proposal, Sibling Bonding, Sleepovers, Trans Male Character, Trans! Damien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 13:25:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11829660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivisextion/pseuds/vivisextion
Summary: Dad has a special surprise for Damien. Also bonus Lucien and Amanda sibling bonding time.The aftermath toComing Out Of My Cage, so this will make more sense if you read that first.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do the matching titles count as a dad joke?

Today is November the first, at last. I wait in the cemetery nervously, sitting on a stone bench on top of a small hill overlooking the city. The lights glimmer in the distance, faraway, almost magical. This is the place we came to on our first actual date, so I thought it would be fitting to do it here.

I spy Damien coming over the crest of the hill, walking towards me. He takes a seat next to me on the bench. He looks beautiful, as ever. The moon’s glow highlights his striking features. His hair sways in the evening breeze, giving off a delicate scent of flowers.

Damien looks me up and down. “You're quite the sharp dresser today. Is it a special occasion?”

He's not wrong. I decided that I couldn't wear my usual dadly attire, so I've gone with a dark grey suit. Amanda suggested black tie, but I didn't want to do this looking like a James Bond knockoff.

“Yes? I mean, not yet. It might be soon. I'm not really sure. I hope so.”

Oh no. I'm rambling. I'm so anxious that I'm not sure if I actually have control over what I'm saying. Words are kind of just pouring out of my mouth right now. I can feel butterflies doing the samba in my stomach.

He chuckles, a soft musical laugh. “Lucien told me to meet you here. Did you want to tell me something?” Damien peers at me curiously.

“Yes. I do have something to tell you.” I turn to him, and take his hand in mine. He looks even more puzzled.  “I don't know how to say this. I've never been good with words.” I take a deep breath. I've never done this before. The last time this happened, I was on the receiving end. I have no idea what I'm doing. Time to jump into the deep end.

“I love you, Damien. I love all of you. I love you for who you are.” Damien blinks at me, stunned, as I get down on one knee before him. His eyes grow even wider when I pull out a small velvet box from inside my jacket and open it. He claps a hand to his mouth.

Inside sits a ring. It’s a gold band, Victorian in origin and design, engraved with his favourite flowers, roses.

“Damien Bloodmarch,” I say. My heart is pounding in my throat. I'm not sure if I'm actually inhaling any oxygen at this point. “Will you marry me?”

At this point, tears are streaming down his pale face, his eyes shining wetly in the moonlight. For a heart-stopping second, my stomach drops like the first time Amanda took me on the Skyscreamer ride. Then, he cries, “Yes! Yes, of course I will.”

I heave a huge sigh of relief. I can't help but smile ear to ear. “May I?” I ask. He nods with a little sob.

Taking his elegant hand in mine, I slip the ring onto his finger, and it fits perfectly. I lift his hand to my lips and press a kiss to the back of it. He's smiling and weeping at the same time. When it's all done, I get up and sit next to him on the bench again. He practically tackles me into a hug. I laugh and hold him in my arms.

“You've made me so happy,” Damien whispers.

“Well, I hope I get to keep doing that, for as long as I can,” I murmur into his hair, petting it in an attempt to soothe him. I brush away the tear tracks on his face with my thumb, then lean in to kiss him slowly. His lips are so soft. He holds on to me as he kisses back. We pull apart, giggling like schoolboys, our foreheads nudged together.

“Congratulations!” Amanda yells, bursting out of one of the bushes. Damien nearly jumps out of his skin. Hell, I knew she was there the whole time, and still I’m startled. Next to her, Lucien stands up, brushing dirt off his pants. Then, Mary emerges, slow clapping.

Damien stands to investigate the appearance of our interlopers. I follow him.

“Were you lot hiding behind the rhododendrons the entire time?” Damien asks, clearly amused.

“I couldn't fit behind the begonias, could I?” Mary grins. “Nice job, by the way,” she says to me. “Proposing in a cemetery? Mary Shelley would be proud.”

“I had to stop Lucien from livestreaming the whole thing,” Amanda pipes up. Already, she’s telling on Lucien. What a great big sister. Damien looks almost affronted.

“Lucien Wollstonecraft Bloodmarch! The nerve of you.”

Amanda and I raise an incredulous eyebrow each.

“Your middle name is Wollstonecraft?” she asks Lucien.

“You gave your son the middle name Wollstonecraft?” I ask Damien.

Lucien shrugs and gestures at his father. Damien looks a little sheepish. “What? It’s a lovely name.”

“They all helped plan this, so I thought they could have special permission to stay and watch,” I explain.

“I found the ring,” Mary says with a smug look.

“Dad and I went on a father-daughter road trip to get it, two states over. So worth it.” Amanda high fives me.

“I picked the date. It's Samhain, Dad. I thought you'd like that. Oh, and I might have borrowed some of your jewelry so we could work out your ring size.”

“How very ingenious!” Damien beams at them. “You've all done splendidly. And what better people to witness this? I couldn't ask for more.”

“C’mere, Dames.” Mary seizes Damien, squeezing him tight. “My special boy.” She dabs tears from the corner of her eye with her sleeve. Damien fusses over her.

“Oh, Mary! Please don’t cry.”

“It’s tears of joy, silly,” she tells him, her voice thick with emotion.

“I'm really happy for you, Dad.” Lucien puts his arms around his father. Damien grabs his son in a big hug, picks Lucien up off the ground a little and swings him around. Lucien looks a little embarrassed, but laughs anyway.

“Dad!”

“Oof.” Damien puts him down. “That used to be easier when you were younger.”

“My turn!” Amanda bounces. Damien laughs and embraces her too. “You make my dad happy, so you're cool in my book.”

“Thank you, Amanda. I shall do my utmost to make him happy henceforth.”

“Wait a minute.” She looks at him suspiciously. “You usually call me Miss Amanda.”

“I thought given recent developments, I might dispense with formality.” He grins at her.

“Alright!” She cheers. “Welcome to the family.”

There's one last thing to do. I have to do it, especially considering the date, and I want to do it right. “Damien, there's someone's whose blessing I would like.”

He looks at me with confusion at first, then understanding. “I see. Would you like to visit him now?”

“If you don't mind,” I reply. We wave to our family as they leave us to it. I hold Damien’s hand in mine, and we begin our stroll down a familiar path.

Everything is so beautiful at night, tinted in shades in blue, lit only by the moon. We make our way past aged headstones, jutting out of the ground like old teeth. Now deep within the realm of the dead, Damien leads me to a marble statue of an expertly carved angel, watching over a grave with its wings unfurled. Though worn with age, its loveliness is still remarkable. The name carved onto the tomb reads ‘Alastair Lee’. By its side, an old woman waits for us. She looks up at us when we approach.

“Mrs Lee?” Damien asks, astonished.

“Hello, dear. Your gentleman friend invited me here tonight.”

“I wanted everyone important in your life to be a part of this,” I tell him. “I hope that was the right thing to do.”

Damien gives my hand a comforting squeeze. “It was. Thank you, darling.”

Mrs Lee eyes me up and down. “Nice suit,” she grins. “From what Mary’s told me of you, you’re a good egg. Damien is like a son to me. Take care of him, won’t you?” Her eyes narrow. “Or else.”

“Mrs Lee!” Damien splutters.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry.” She waves at him, laughing. “I’m sure if he puts so much as a toe out of line, Mary will exact her vengeance before I can even make a move.” Mrs Lee winks at me. “I’m sure you’ll do a fine job, young man. Be good to him, now.” She gives Damien and I a frail hug. Then she shuffles away, leaving us alone with the marble angel.

Damien chuckles. “She’s quite a character, Mrs Lee. A more formidable mother-in-law you will never meet.”

Hand in hand, we stand before the grave in respectful silence. I wonder what Damien's late husband would have thought of me. Would he approve? Was I good enough for Damien?

Damien speaks first, as though reading my mind.

“Alastair would have liked you,” he says at last.

“I can only hope so.” I sigh. “I know I can’t replace him, Damien.”

Damien nods. “And I can’t replace Amanda’s father.”

We’re about to embark on this new chapter of our lives. We’ve made this new family we can call our own. Him, me, and our two children. And we both know that our husbands, once a part of our lives, though they no longer are, are still a part of who we are.

“They’re still here with us, aren’t they.” I gaze up at the angel.  “We’ll remember them. Together.”

Damien leans a head on my shoulder. “Together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Samhain is considered the time of year when the veil between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest. As with Dia de los Muertos too, it is dedicated to the remembrance of those who have passed on. Also, the name Alastair means 'protector' or 'defender'.


	2. Bonus!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucien and Amanda spend some sibling bonding time together.

The doorbell rings. I quickly pause the TV, then get up from the couch where I’ve been photoshopping together a collage while marathoning my favourite show. It’s way less messy than an actual collage, and also I was too lazy to dig out my gluesticks. Being home for the summer is nice.

I open the door. To my surprise, it’s Lucien, looking as always like a store brand Chris Motionless. Lucien is dressed in his pyjamas, which consist of an old Green Day t-shirt with holes, and comfy bottoms with little bats all over them. On his feet are bunny slippers, but the bunnies look evil and have sharp teeth. Cute. He looks like he’s attempting very hard to be casual, but something’s got him rattled. This should be interesting.

“Hey,” he says, clearly uncomfortable.

“Hey yourself. What’s up, spider in your room again?” I grin at him. I’ll never let him live it down, the time he livestreamed himself in his room, trying to catch a large spider with a broom and failing for half an hour, and then flinging it outside his window in a blind panic once he finally caught it.

“No,” he scoffs. “It’s just... Dad, and uh… other dad. Your dad. They’re, um…” Lucien’s cheeks turn pink. “You know. Doing stuff.”

“What do you mean, they're doing stuff, what kind of stuff are they - ohhh.” I finally understand what he’s trying to say. My eyes go wide. “OHHHHH.” I grimace, trying to scrub the image of ‘stuff’ out of my brain. Nobody needs to think about their dad and his fiance doing stuff.

“You poor boy.” I pat him on the head. “Come spend some quality time with your big sister.”

I usher him inside. He takes a seat on our couch, immediately hijacking my good fleece blanket. Great, I just got this new baby brother, and already I have to learn how to share? I miss being an only kid. I sigh and graciously allow him to keep it, unpausing my show.

“What’re you watching?” Lucien drawls, peering at the screen.

I stare at him incredulously. “You’ve NEVER seen Long Haul Ice Road Paranormal Ghost Truckers??”

“No? What is this?”

“Only THE best show on cable network.” I plop down on the couch next to him. This box set Dad gave me is so coming in handy. “You deprived young man. We’re going to remedy this right now.”

I start right at the beginning again for Lucien’s benefit. After five minutes, he’s hooked. As I knew he would be.

“Popcorn?” I ask.

“Popcorn,” he agrees.

“Butter?” I suggest.

“Duh,” he replies.

“Caramel?” I propose.

“Absolutely,” he answers.

“Good. We won’t have to disown you after all.”

I make my way to the kitchen, and begin to drag out Dad’s air popper from the back of the cabinet. As I retrieve a stick of butter from the fridge, my phone vibrates on the counter top.

_Don’t wait up. Staying over at Damien’s tonight._

I grin. I peek my head around the door and look over to the living room. Lucien is safely within his blanket nest, and does NOT look like he’s going to stop watching this show any time soon. I text Dad back.

_Ye I know. Lucien and I are having a sleepover. Have fun <3 _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [These are Lucien's slippers, they're inspired by Monty Python.](http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/style/shoes/killer-rabbit-slippers.asp)


End file.
